Doesn't matter. Haven't seen a Niner QB throw a halfway decent fade route inside the 10 yard line since Garcia left. For whatever reason, we don't excute the jumpball throws well at all. And we've had some decent jumpball WRs here recently in Braylon Edwards and Moss. Even Crabs is a good jumpball WR. It really doesn't have anything to do with personnel. I thought it did but looking at our redzone offense this year with the All 22, I think our play-design in that area of the field is very rudimentary. It just doesn't look very creative and doesn't seem to get guys open. I see a lot of teams who lack big redzone targets who are money inside the 20. I just think its a area where its more so on the QB and the play-design, not necessarily the WR.

First things first...beating Green Bay. The Packers are 4-1 against us in the playoffs but the 1 loss they had was in SF with the Catch II by Owens. That will soon become 4-2. :)

After thats done, I'll be cheering for the Seahawks for two reasons. First, we get to host the NFCCG for the second straight year and second, I want that rematch. They way to beat SEA is easy and simple yet no one has figured it out yet...be more aggressive and tough and physical. That's how you beat them and we will period.

Here we go with not giving the Niners credit again and doubting their talent, team chemistry, abilities and quality coaching staff. If the Niners played as timid as most of the fans on this board though they'd play, there's no chance they would be a playoff team.

This 49ers team is better this year than last year (who were one non-called Bradshaw fumble away from a Super bowl birth), shaped through a harder schedule, with more experience, more weapons, great O-Line play, a dynamic defense. I know Green Bay fans and they are optimistic about their team but they are not confident that they can take down the Niners because they are a tough, feared team playing at home.

Believe that Harbaugh and the Niners will have a whole lot of physical play and smarts waiting for the Pack come Saturday afternoon. Remember that this was the week last year in the playoffs when the Niners had no chance against the potent New Orleans offense led by Drew Brees, the unstoppable Jimmy Graham, etc.

Sound familiar? Let's go.

__________________

Tomsula in as HC after the "Harbacle"
Operation 2015 Super Bowl Champions: In progress, with much work to be done

I love your optimism, dan, but the way this team has played in recent weeks, outside of one half against the Patriots and beating up on the Cardinals, I can't see us beating the Packers.

Team has played bad in the second half at NE and at SEA but both were on the road, six quarters were without Justin Smith which obviously cant be prepared for unless it happens (which sadly it did) and the SEA loss was more about coming off a huge win at NE than anything else. Packers defense is average at best as is their running game.

Their passing game is great but we shut it down week one and we'll do the same again especially in SF. Even if it turns out to be a shootout, im still more confident in Kaepernick's ability to match and surpass it than I was a year ago with Smith against the Saints.

Everyone thinks that just because GB beat MIN, they're awesome again. Please. They're overrated and just like we did in week one, we'll show that again. Also, playoff time and I have a feeling that Moss breaks out, saves his best for last as im sure he would love to retire with a SB ring. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madirishman

Here we go with not giving the Niners credit again and doubting their talent, team chemistry, abilities and quality coaching staff. If the Niners played as timid as most of the fans on this board though they'd play, there's no chance they would be a playoff team.

This 49ers team is better this year than last year (who were one non-called Bradshaw fumble away from a Super bowl birth), shaped through a harder schedule, with more experience, more weapons, great O-Line play, a dynamic defense. I know Green Bay fans and they are optimistic about their team but they are not confident that they can take down the Niners because they are a tough, feared team playing at home.

Believe that Harbaugh and the Niners will have a whole lot of physical play and smarts waiting for the Pack come Saturday afternoon. Remember that this was the week last year in the playoffs when the Niners had no chance against the potent New Orleans offense led by Drew Brees, the unstoppable Jimmy Graham, etc.

Sound familiar? Let's go.

Exactly. That Bradshaw fumble was a fumble and cost us the game, not Williams. With or without Justin Smith, this team is still damn good enough to beat GB especially in SF where GB is 0-1 in the playoffs. Soon to be 0-2. And for some reason, we tend to play better against high offensive teams like GB than we do against non explosive teams like STL for example. Its funny but true.

I'm confident going into next weeks game vs the Pack. They have no running game. We do. They are poor at stopping the run. As with all games we play we, we can't fall behind by two scores, we need to stay out of 3rd and longs, and avoid turnovers.

I love your optimism, dan, but the way this team has played in recent weeks, outside of one half against the Patriots and beating up on the Cardinals, I can't see us beating the Packers.

Honestly, we kind of slowed down in the 2nd half of the 2011 season too. Lost to the Ravens, then beat the Rams, lost to the Cardinals on the road. Then barely beat the Seahawks AND Rams, and beat up on a Steelers team with an injured Roethlisberger who turned the ball over a couple of times. Plenty of people wondered if we could win a game. Then we went out and beat the red-hot Saints, and came extremely close to beating the SB champion Giants.

Just saying, its a new season now and our coaches and players come out big in these situations (usually).

That being said...if i HAD to choose a winner, it would be the Packers. Hope i'm wrong, i don't think its impossible we win, just think Rodgers will be on top of his game...

Here we go with not giving the Niners credit again and doubting their talent, team chemistry, abilities and quality coaching staff. If the Niners played as timid as most of the fans on this board though they'd play, there's no chance they would be a playoff team.

This 49ers team is better this year than last year (who were one non-called Bradshaw fumble away from a Super bowl birth), shaped through a harder schedule, with more experience, more weapons, great O-Line play, a dynamic defense. I know Green Bay fans and they are optimistic about their team but they are not confident that they can take down the Niners because they are a tough, feared team playing at home.

Believe that Harbaugh and the Niners will have a whole lot of physical play and smarts waiting for the Pack come Saturday afternoon. Remember that this was the week last year in the playoffs when the Niners had no chance against the potent New Orleans offense led by Drew Brees, the unstoppable Jimmy Graham, etc.

Sound familiar? Let's go.

Well our record for one, would indicate we're not better than last year's team. And we haven't been consistent at all this year really.....well if you count losing every 3rd game as consistent, then I guess you got me there. But last season we rattled off 6 wins in a row I believe at one point. Haven't played nearly to that level this year.

Now I'm not saying we can't beat the Packers. Of course we can. We can beat anyone if players and coaches excute the way we know they can. But that 2011 squad had a identity. Physical, beat you up in the trenches mentality, on both sides of the ball. We grinded out games with a ball-control offense, stellar kicking game, superior special teams and defense. Wasn't always pretty but we imposed our will on teams, more times than not.

Fast-foward this year. We have lost our identity. Our defense is still good. Great even, but not as dominant in the trenches as they were last year. With injuries to Cowboy and Haralson, we're also not as deep along the line as we were last year, something to ponder. Teams have been able to run on us far more frequently. That just didn't happen last year.

Our kicking game is a mess with the whole Akers vs. Cundiff deal. ST has been good after a slow start. Coverage units have gotten better as the season progressed. Andy Lee is off his league high punt net average mark he set last year.

Offensively though is the biggest change. We've slowly become a finesse team. We've slowly drifted away from last year's mantra of protect the ball, time of possession, power-run team. Suddenly that wasn't good enough. And that was evident from the QB change. We wanted a more dynamic passing attack. Made a QB switch. Incoperated more "cute, finesse" plays and looks to accommodate all these new weapons we have. We lost that smash-mouth mentality in the process. That phyiscalness we played with and put on display every game last year has been missing for extended periods of time this year, especially since CK has been the starter. That makes us more susceptible to getting out-physicaled, like we saw from the Giants and the 'Hawks. This offense has no identity. One drive, I think Chip Kelly is the OC. Next drive, it looks like its Marty Ball. There is no cohensive offensive flow to the play-calls....no identity to why we do, what we do, and when we do it. And that, IMO is why I'm not as confident in this team heading into the playoffs like I was with last year's squad.

The only thing gives me real optimism right now is that we've been here before....ready to host a divisonal playoff game against a hot team.

Harbaugh said yesterday that there's been a separation in the kicking competition and that there is a 'leader in the clubhouse.' Cundiff went to go practice at Candlestick since he's never kicked in that stadium before. The plot thickens.

__________________

Tomsula in as HC after the "Harbacle"
Operation 2015 Super Bowl Champions: In progress, with much work to be done

Hopefully the 49ers don't come slinging the ball like they did against the Seahawks and try to just go vertical from the get go. I'd rather try to get Frank Gore and LeMichael James going via the ground and see if that will take some pressure off of the passing attack. I just don't want to see Greg Roman get really cute at this time and try experimenting, especially with gadget plays and read option plays that are really aggressive to the point that if they don't work it could be a huge disaster like what we saw happen in St.Louis.

Also, I wonder how much mental toughness Kaepernick will have in his first playoff start. Will he fold over or rise to the occasion?

Hopefully the 49ers don't come slinging the ball like they did against the Seahawks and try to just go vertical from the get go. I'd rather try to get Frank Gore and LeMichael James going via the ground and see if that will take some pressure off of the passing attack. I just don't want to see Greg Roman get really cute at this time and try experimenting, especially with gadget plays and read option plays that are really aggressive to the point that if they don't work it could be a huge disaster like what we saw happen in St.Louis.

Also, I wonder how much mental toughness Kaepernick will have in his first playoff start. Will he fold over or rise to the occasion?

I guess my thing is last year, we rose to every challenge. Every time I thought "no way can we beat that team", they shut me up and dominated for the most part. This year, they only did that once....against the Pats. And even that win kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

But Im also kinda of indifferent. I knew when we went with CK, the playoffs would be that much tougher. And with the offense still finding its way and the defense reeling a little, just makes the hill even steeper. Still have confidence in the team though. From top to bottom, I think we have as talented a roster as any. But the chemistry is off from last year. In all three phases, we're just not as sharp, as precise, as consistent with each unit like last year's squad.

I guess my thing is last year, we rose to every challenge. Every time I thought "no way can we beat that team", they shut me up and dominated for the most part. This year, they only did that once....against the Pats. And even that win kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

But Im also kinda of indifferent. I knew when we went with CK, the playoffs would be that much tougher. And with the offense still finding its way and the defense reeling a little, just makes the hill even steeper. Still have confidence in the team though. From top to bottom, I think we have as talented a roster as any. But the chemistry is off from last year. In all three phases, we're just not as sharp, as precise, as consistent with each unit like last year's squad.

I felt that three times this season the odds were stacked against the 49ers and the 49ers delivered. Against the Packers everyone thought they would lose. The Packers were playing for the first time since their 15-1 season came to a crashing end. And it was Lambeau Field. Understandable, I suppose.

Then it was against New Orleans who had won 5 straight I believe. Or at least 5 out of their last 6. It was also in New Orleans. San Francisco took care of business there as well.

Then there was the Patriots who were favored for a lot of reasons and it was understandable. They hadn't lost a December home game in ten years, blah, blah, blah. Took care of business there.

The issue of course has been consistency. San Francisco finished with a pretty good record given the harder schedule this season. But it games like the Vikings and two affairs with the Rams that really seemed weird. And of course the 49ers haven't won more than two games straight this year. So that was annoying. Maybe that's why I'm not as hyped up about this upcoming matchup. Last year it felt like the 49ers really were tough to beat. Now, eh. Wouldn't be shocked if Green Bay goes on to Atlanta or hosts the NFC Championship game against the Seahawks.

I agree that it would be nice that the team could get Gore back on track and give him a 100 plus yards this next game. It would really slow down the packers greatly to have time of position on our side. None of that tricky crap either will work not against the Packers no pistol formation crap either ugh just a high risk formation. only 4 more days gonna be a long 4 days.

Looks like Cundiff might be running away with the kicking job. He was alone at Candlestick the other day handling kicking duties. Akers wasn't anywhere to be seen. Apparently Cundiff did quite well too. Of course there is practicing in an empty stadium and doing well and there is kicking an important set of kicks in a playoff game. Then again, maybe it doesn't mean anything and Cundiff was there just to be prepared.

Dam why do we have to have Cundiff as our kicker ugh worse then Akers. Just draft a rookie next year to groom up. Or heck sign a rookie ( K ) I just hope it is no longer FG like 45 plus. ugh gonna be a tough game on Saturday.I just hope we come out on top.